What Ottoman Nationality Was and Was Not

The Ottoman Nationality Law of 1869 is considered a milestone in the development of late Ottoman citizenship and national belonging. The content of the legislation itself, and the history of its implementation by the Legal Bureau of the Ottoman Foreign Ministry, reveal that the law was developed to define membership in marginal and difficult cases of shared allegiance. Its focus was acquisition and loss of membership rather than the rights of citizenship. Ottoman nationality law was largely consistent with international norms, with two particularities: special attention to marriages between Ottoman and Persian subjects and special impediments to the naturalization of Ottomans abroad. In making the case that Ottoman nationality was a historical factor distinct from nationalism or citizenship, the article offers a detailed treatment of a 1909 draft revision of the 1869 law.